We’ve seen a boom in rooftop bars and restaurants in recent years, and I am 100 percent here for it. Beth often jokes that one of my purposes in life is to climb to the highest point wherever we are, just to look out on everything.
So when you combine that desire with an expert spot for food and drink, you get the winning combination that is Goodale Station.
Goodale Station sits 12 stories up, on top of the Canopy By Hilton hotel in the Arena District. It’s meant to feed visitors at the Convention Center across the street, but the food, drinks, and views are a must-try for anyone in Columbus.
The restaurant features its own entrance, with a hallway leading to an elevator that zips you right to the rooftop. Even though our visit with friends coincided with a rainy evening, we still enjoyed the views. Much of the restaurant is surrounding by glass walls, while a large, curving glass ceiling provides illumination overhead. And there’s a small outdoor patio as well.
For starters, their cocktail menu offers some very unique libations. Try the Day Tripper with mushroom-infused Basil Hayden, amaro nonino, dry curaçao, turmeric, lemon – yes, served with mushrooms! Or choose a more old school route with the strawberry mojito.
It’s hard for me to resist the drama of a good smoked old fashioned, too.
We split a few items from the starters and share-ables menu and were very pleased with all of our choices. The cheese and charcuterie board offers a good mix of meats, cheeses, bread, and spreads.
Our server recommended the sticky root beer ribs: fall-off-the-bone ribs with a unique root beer glaze, crushed peanuts, and Thai basil. Be ready for the sticky mess – but it’s worth it.
The crab cakes, very well done, are topped with a bacon-lemon gremolata and pickled serrano chilis.
Even before we visited, I had scoped out the aloo masala on the menu. It marries spiced potato and chickpeas with a tamarind date chutney and served with a couple slices of fermented serrano naan. Great flavor all around; I would have loved a couple more pieces of the naan.
Quick pause for another drink: the Golden Casket with Woodford Reserve, DiSaronno, Plantation 5yr, maraschino, suze, and lemon.
We’ll rarely say no to shishito peppers, and Goodale Station’s version is wonderfully topped with a miso vinaigrette, cotija cheese, and hot chili nuts.
The only dish we ordered from the mains section of the menu was the ricotta gnudi. Gnudi are dumplings similar to gnocchi but made with ricotta cheese. They’re light and fluffy, and a delight when paired with burrata, mushrooms, asparagus, capers, a vierge sauce, and fennel pollen.
As you can see from the sampling above, Goodale Station’s menu travels across a few different continents to assemble and unique blend of dishes large and small. We were delighted by all of it, and while we visited for drinks and a light dinner, there are plenty more reasons to return… like happy hour or weekend brunch!
Goodale Station
77 E. Nationwide Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 227-9400
Web: goodalestation.com
FB: Goodale Station
IG: @goodalestation
